Key holder and key container including same



E. HANNA April 23, 1968 KEY HOLDER AND KEY CONTAINER INCLUDING SAME Filed May 11, 1966 F/GZ FIG. 4

INVENTOR 60 W480 HAN BY )wwoa/M ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,379,041 KEY HOLDER AND KEY CONTAINER INCLUDING SAME Edward Hanna, Nevasink, N.J., assignor to Hanna Keyholder Company, Incorporated, Atlantic Highlands,

N.J., a corporation of New Jersey Filed May 11, 1966, Ser. No. 549,206 13 Claims. (Cl. 70-456) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The key holder comprises a strip bent upon itself to have first and second bends, with a first end overlapping a second end to define a loop. The strip has a slot extending from said first bend to the part of the first end overlapping the second end, and there having an enlarged opening. The second end is resiliently urged toward the first end to normally block the enlarged opening, but it is movable away from said first end to unblock the enlarged opening in order to permit an enlarged part of a key carrier to pass therethrough. The other portion of said slot permits a shank of the key carrier to pass therethrough, but not the enlarged key carrier part. The second end of the strip is provided with a recess, and the first end has a projecting part received in the recess to align said ends. In preferred form there are a pair of recesses receiving a pair of projecting parts. The second bend is a partially closed loop, and a plurality of such holders are pivotally mounted in side-by-side relation in a key container.

The present invention relates to a key holder, and to a key container containing a plurality of said holders. In particular, it relates to key carrying means which facilitates the replacement of keys therein, permits the removal of selected keys therefrom, and provides for greater facility in the use of individual keys without detaching them from the container.

Key holders of the type under discussion are in widespread use and are often, although not necessarily, incorporated into a container or the like for appearances sake and to protect the pocket of the user from damage which is likely to be caused by the keys or the holder thereof. If holders of this type are to perform their desired functions they must be capable of retaining keys attached thereto in a positive manner and without risk of accidental displacement. They must also be so constructed that the keys can be removed from or replaced in the holder in a simple manner and without the necessity of using tools or exercising any appreciable manipulative skill. In addition, it is usually desired that an individual key be useable for unlocking purposes while it remains attached to the container which holds a plurality of other keys, and it is most desirable that one be able to thus use the desired key without interference by the undesired keys or the container. It is also essential, since these holders are normally inexpensive items, that the construction be such as to lend itself to low cost and mass production, yet be sturdy and effective for its desired functions while at the same time presenting an appearance of substantiality and attractiveness.

The type of key holder to which this invention pertains is that in which a key is not introduced directly into the holder but is first semi-permanently attached to a key carrier, the carrier then being securable to the holder in a readily releasable manner. To this end the carrier is povided with an enlarged tip and the holder is provided with a slot narrower than the tip of the carrier and provided with an enlarged portion through which the tip of the carrier is passable. Means are provided for 3,379,041 Patented Apr. 23, 1968 blocking and unblocking the enlarged slot portion at the will of the user, the carrier being retained on the holder when the enlarged slot portion is blocked and being removable from the holder when the enlarged slot portion is unblocked.

Various structures have been devised in the past for alternately blocking and unblocking these enlarged slot portions, but they have in the main been characterized by complexity of structure, multiplicity of parts which are difiicult in assembly, and with difiiculty of manipulatibility. It is a prime object of the present invention to devise a structure which materially improves on all of the above factors.

It is a further prime object of the present invention to devise a key container in which the keys mounted on individual key carriers can more readily be individually used and, with their carriers, more readily detached from or secured to the container, than has heretofore been the case.

To these ends the key container is provided with a plurality of individual key holders which are articulately mounted on the container structure so as to be individually movable between a stowed position and an extended position of use. Each key holder is adapted to detachably receive an individual key carrier of the type described, on which one or more keys may be carried. By reason of this arrangement and mounting of key holders, when a given key is to be used the holder corresponding thereto is moved from its stowed position to its position of use, in which latter position it extends from the container, thereby making the key carried by the associated key carrier more readily accessible and useable by spatially separating it from the container and the other keys. After the key in question has been used, its holder is returned to stowed position, the key and key carrier in question then returning to their conventional position of storage within the container.

The holders themselves are of significantly novel construction which permits the associated key carriers to be readily attached to or separated from the holders. The body of each holder is formed from a strip of material which is appropriately bent to define a mounting section and a carrier-receiving slot described above. The ends of the strip overlap, with the enlarged portion of the slot being formed in the outer overlapping end, the inner overlapping end serving to control the blocking and unblocking of that enlarged slot portion. Resilient means, preferably inherent in the material of which the body of the holder is formed, urges the inner one of the overlapping ends toward the outer one of those ends, and therefore into slot-blocking position. A portion of the strip is exposed adjacent the inner or blocking end, thereby permitting that end to be moved away from the overlying end, and into unblocking position. Preferably the overlapping end portions are provided with interengaging means, such as recesses and interfitting projections, in order to ensure proper alignment between the strip ends. The mounting section of the holder body is preferably formed into an at least partially closed loop within which a rod-like mounting element is loosely received, the mounting element in turn being secured to the container proper, thus providing for individual pivotal mounting of the holders on the container.

To the accomplishment of the above, and to such other objects as may hereinafter appear, the present invention relates to the construction of key holders and of a key container comprising such holders, as defined in the appended claims, and as described in this specification, taken together with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view taken along the line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 but showing the position of the parts during the removal or insertion of a key carrier; and

FIG. 4 is a rear elevational view of the key container of FIG. 1, but with the flexible envelope thereof eliminated.

The key container, generally designated A, comprises, as is conventional, a flexible tubular envelope 2 of leather, plastic, cloth or the like defining a rear wall 4 and combination side and front walls 6 which are adapted to be overlapped and to be secured together in any appropriate manner, as by means of the snap fastener 8. Mounted on the rear wall -4 in any appropriate manner, as by the rivets 10, is a rigid base plate 12 provided with apertures 14 through which the rivets are adapted to pass and provided with forwardly extending ears 16 between which a mounting rod 18 extends.

A plurality of key holders, generally designated 20, and here shown for purposes of illustration as four in number, are individually mounted on the rod 18 in side-by-side relationship. The construction of each of the holders 20 may be identical, and consequently only one will be specifically described.

A holder 20 is formed, preferably in one piece, from a strip of suitable structural material such as sheet metal which is shape-retaining and which is preferably inherently resilient. The strip has ends 22 and 24, and is bent upon itself to form what may be generally described as a loop, with the ends 22 and 24 overlapping to an appreciable degree. As here disclosed the end 22 is the outer of the overlapping ends and the end 24 is the inner end. In forming the loop at least two bends 26 and 28 are formed in the strip, those bends respectively defining the carrier-receiving and holder-mounting sections of the holder 20. The bend 26 is relatively wide, and the body of the strip, at or along that bend 26, is provided with a slot 30, which slot continues to and extends along the strip end 22, there being provided with an enlarged portion 32, so that the periphery of the slot is of what may be described as keyhole-shape. The enlarged slot portion 32 wholly or partially extends over the strip end 24. The bend 28 defining the mounting section of the holder forms, in cross section, an at least partially closed loop sized so as to be freely received on the mounting element 18, the bend 28 preferably being more abrupt than the bend 26.

The strip end 24 is provided with a pair of side notches 34 adapted to register with the tip of the strip end 22, and that tip is provided with a pair of downwardly projecting parts 36 adapted to be received within the edge slots 34. Means are provided for resiliently urging the strip end 24 toward the strip end 22 to a position in which the parts 36 are received within the notches 34 and the strip end 24 blocks the enlarged slot portion 32. Said means is preferably the inherent resiliency of the strip material of which the holder 20 is formed. A portion of the strip, designated 38, is exposed between the mounting bend 28 and the tip of the overlying strip end 22, and that portion 38 may be provided with a convex portion, as disclosed, to facilitate manipulation.

The key carriers designed to be used in conjunction with the holders and container of the present invention are generally designated 40. Such carriers conventionally comprise an enlarged tip 42, a shank 44, and a resiliently openable loop 46 having a free end 48. The width of the narrow slot portion is larger than the width of the carrier shank 44 but less than the width of the carrier tip 42. The enlarged slot portion 32 has a width greater than the width of the carrier tip 42. As may be clearly seen from FIG. 2, the curvature of the bend 26 is sufficiently gradual so that the space between the tip 22 and the opposed portion of the strip on the other side of the bend 26 is considerably greater than the width of the carrier tip 42. Hence, as is conventional, the carrier 40, upon which one or more keys 50 may be removably mounted, may be attached to the holder 20 by causing its tip 42 to move through the enlarged slot portion 32 to the position shown in FIG. 2, with the carrier shank 44 extending through the narrow slot portion 30. Removal of a carrier 40 from the holder 20 is etfected by opposite motion thereof.

When the holder 20 is in its normal position, as shown in FIG. 3, the strip end 24 blocks the enlarged slot portion 32. Consequently a key carrier 40 in attached position will not become detached. In order to detach the carrier 40, and as indicated in FIG. 3, it is necessary to move the strip end 24 away from the strip end 22 by a distance sufficient to permit the enlarged carrier tip 42 to pass therebetween. This can be done, as indicated by the arrows 52 in FIG. 3, by exerting opposing forces on the strip portion 38 and on the rear portion of the holder 20, thereby to move the strip end 24 toward that rear portion of the holder and away from the strip end 22 and unblock the enlarge-d slot portion 32. The same result can be achieved by exerting pressure on the strip portion 38 as indicated by the arrow 52 and by pulling in the opposite direction on the carrier 40, while at the same time urging the carrier 40 toward the enlarged slot portion 32.

To engage a carrier 40 with a holder 20 it is necessary only to place the enlarged tip 42 of the carrier 40 'in the enlarged slot portion 32 and to urge the carrier downwardly and into the narrow slot portion 30, thus automatically depressing the strip end 24 to unblock the enlarged slot portion 32, the strip end 24 automatically snapping back into blocking position after the carrier shank 44 has moved along the narrow slot 30 sufiiciently to disengage its enlarged head 42 from the strip end 44.

When an individual key is to be used that key, its carrier 40, and the holder 20 associated therewith are all moved from the stowed position shown in the drawings to an extended position in which the key is remote from the container A, although still attached thereto. To that end the associated holder 20 is pivoted about the mounting element 18 so as, for example, to extend vertically upwardly instead of vertically downwardly as shown in FIG. 1.

The key carrier 40 extends from the holder and has What is essentially a universal movement relative thereto, and the key is mounted at the extremity of the carrier 40. Consequently the key in use is appreciably spaced from the container A, while the remainder of the keys remain stowed in the container A. The fact that each holder 20 is individually movable permits this effect to be obtained. After the key has been used its holder 20 is pivoted back to the stowed position shown in FIG. 1, and the container A with its contents resumes its stand-by condition.

The fact that each of the holders 20 is of one piece construction, requiring no assembly operations but only forming operations, which latter may be accomplished readily and inexpensively on a mass production basis, and the extreme simplicity of the assembly of the individual holders 20 in the container A, make for very low manufacturing cost and at the same time produce an extremely sturdy and reliable structure. The location of the individual holders 20 side by side, and close to one another, makes for a sturdy and attractive appearance which is very important to the saleability of the device. The possibility of accidental detachment of individual key carriers 40 is so remote as to be virtually non-existent, yet the carriers 40 may be removed and replaced when desired with great case.

While but a single embodiment of the present invention has been here specifically disclosed, it will be apparent that many variations may be made therein, all within the scope of the present invention as defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. A key holder comprising a strip of material having first and second ends, said strip being bent upon itself to have first and second bends and with said first end overlapping said second end to define a loop, said strip having a slot formed therein extending from said first bend to the part or" said first end overlapping said second end and there having an enlarged opening, means resiliently urging said second strip end toward said first strip end, thereby normally to block said enlarged slot opening, said second strip end being movable away from said first strip end against the action of said resilient means thereby to unblock said enlarged slot opening, said enlarged slot opening being adapted to permit an enlarged part of a key carrier to pass therethrough and the other portion of said slot being adapted to permit a shank connected to said enlarged key carrier part to pass therethrough but not to permit said enlarged key carrier part to pass therethrough, said second end of said strip being provided with a recess, said first end of said strip having a projecting part received in said recess when said second end is urged toward said first end, thereby to align said ends.

2. A key container comprising a mounting member, a plurality of key holders each as defined in claim 1, means for individually pivotally mounting said holders on said member in side-by-side relation, each of said holders comprising strip material of appreciable width and each of said holders releasably receiving a key carrier.

3. The key holder of claim ll, in which said second bend comprises, in cross section, an at least partially closed loop which is adapted to receive a mounting element therethrough and to pivotally mount said holder on said element, and in which said first bend is substantially wider in cross section than said second bend.

4. The key holder of claim 1, in which said strip, adjacent said second end, is exposed beyond said first end, thereby to define an accessible section adapted to be depressed to cause said second end to move away from said first end.

5. The key holder of claim 1, in which said second bend comprises, in cross section, an at least partially closed loop which is adapted to receive a mounting element therethrough and to pivotally mount said holder on said element, and in which said strip, adjacent said second end, is exposed beyond said first end, thereby to define an accessible section adapted to be depressed to cause said second end to move away from said first end.

6. The key holder of claim 1, in which said second bend comprises, in cross section, an at least partially closed loop which is adapted to receive a mounting member therethrough and to pivotally mount said holder on said element.

7. A key container comprising a mounting member, a plurality of key holders each as defined in claim 6, means for individually pivotally mounting said holders on said member in side-by-side relation, each of said holders comprising strip material of appreciable width and each of said holders releasably receiving a key carrier.

8. The key holder of claim 1, in which said second end is provided with a pair of recesses at opposite side edges thereof, said first end having projecting parts received in said recesses when said second end is urged toward said first end, thereby to align said ends.

9. The key holder of claim 8, in which said second bend comprises, in cross section, an at least partially closed loop which is adapted to receive a mounting element therethrough and to pivotally mount said holder on said element.

10. The key holder of claim 8, in which said strip, adjacent said second end, is exposed beyond said first end, thereby to define an accessible section adapted to be depressed to cause said second end to move away from said first end.

11. The key holder of claim 8, in which said second bend comprises, in cross section, an at least partially closed loop which is adapted to receive a mounting element therethrough :and to pivotally mount said holder on said element, and in which said strip, adjacent said second end, is exposed beyond said first end, thereby to define an accessible section adapted to be depressed to cause said second end to move away from said first end.

12. The key holder of claim 8, in which said second bend comprises, in cross section, an at least partially closed loop which is adapted to receive a mounting element therethrough and to pivotally mount said holder on said element, and in which said first bend is substantially wider in cross section than said second bend.

13. A key container comprising a mounting member, a plurality of key holders each .as defined in claim 12, means for individually pivotally mounting said holders on said member in side-by-side relation, each of said holders comprising a strip material of appreciable width and each of said holders releasably receiving a key carrier.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,543,054 6/ 1925 Bushnell. 1,829,232 10/ 1931 Morehouse. 2,679,674 6/ 1954 Hanna -456 X 2,964,937 12/1960 Lautin 70456 MARVIN A. CHAMPION, Primary Examiner.

P. TEITELBAUM, Assistant Examiner. 

